Want something a little different this summer, but not too different? Ragnarok may be just the thing. The film is a big-budget action-adventure story in the Spielberg mold, but there are also shades of Godzilla as the real star is a giant beast that has lain for centuries beneath the sea. Inspired vaguely by stories of the mythological Norse end of the world, this Norwegian film stars Pål Sverre Hagen (Kon-Tiki) and Sofia Helin. Mikkel Brænne Sandemose directed from a script by John Kåre Raake. Check out the US Ragnarok trailer below.

So what is the monster? Without giving too much away, it looks like the Jörmungandr, or the World Serpent, which plays a big role in the classic conception of the battle of Ragnarok. Precisely how he plays into this story (which was originally called The Ragnarok Riddle) is something we’ll leave the film to tell.

Ragnarok opens On Demand and in theaters on August 15. Trailer via Apple.

Archeologist Sigurd Svendsen (Pål Sverre Hagen) has for years been obsessed with the Oseberg Viking ship. The only inscription found on the ship is the enigmatic ´man knows little` written in runes. Sigurd is sure that the Oseberg ship contains the answer to the mystery of Ragnarok, the end of days in Norse mythology. When his friend Allan finds similar runes on a stone from the north of Norway, Sigurd becomes convinced that the runes are in fact a treasure map. Together they mount an expedition group and their adventure leads to “No man’s Land” between Norway and Russia, which has been deserted for decades. Here Sigurd learns the true meaning of the runes – a secret more terrifying than he could possibly imagine.